RAID Configuration Question

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rphenix

985 posts

Ultimate Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#297045 8-Feb-2010 13:47

browned:

I would open the server, look for a standard HDD connection (IDE, or SATA) and buy a basic 500GB hard drive for a image based backup. Of course all data should be backed up on tape or some other form of backup medium before any disk is removed or wiped.

If its an old server you may find IDE to be the best bet SATA could cause more issues (then again could be completely fine).

jaymz

1133 posts

Uber Geek

#297056 8-Feb-2010 14:08

rphenix:
browned:

I would open the server, look for a standard HDD connection (IDE, or SATA) and buy a basic 500GB hard drive for a image based backup. Of course all data should be backed up on tape or some other form of backup medium before any disk is removed or wiped.

If its an old server you may find IDE to be the best bet SATA could cause more issues (then again could be completely fine).

Going by the age of the server (no USB ports) I would guess that SATA is not an option.

But as has been said, if you are unsure getting someone who knows what they are doing to do the job for you might be a better option. Less stress for you and you can learn from how it is done. Although it would come back to how much money you have to spare for the job.

Hmm speaking of money, have you considered a newer server instead?

mjreiman

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#297064 8-Feb-2010 14:25

I actually have one here at home that I bought and just never got around to setting up that has more in it than the one at my job. I have considered just taking that in and selling it to my boss. This thing still has scuzzy drives in it

browned

636 posts

Ultimate Geek

#297065 8-Feb-2010 14:29

jaymz: Hmm speaking of money, have you considered a newer server instead?

This brings in another point.

Any server that is running out of space has not been specced properly or has out lasted it's used by date so should be replaced period. It is more than likely out of warranty or close to it, replacement parts might not be available, new replacement hard drives could be costly if using an SCSI interface.

It is pretty simple really way back when servers didn't have OCE or OLRM you had to get it right first time of face your current situation and the inherent problems that this work brings. At this stage I would be fighting tooth and nail for a new server, and new software to do whatever it is that is being done.

If the new software it not possible then I would suggest a decent spec server that can run this old system in a virtual environment (plenty of P2V converters around). This will also give you options for new systems without the hardware cost in the future as the new systems can be run virtually on the new server.

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Mark

1653 posts

Uber Geek

#298848 14-Feb-2010 13:35

mjreiman: I am new to using RAID. However, at my new job I have to replace one of the drives in an IBM server because it's full. I have six HDDs total in it. 2 arrays, one of four discs, the other of two. How can I replace one of the discs for more storage without losing my RAID configuration? And what's the best way to determine my current RAID level?

Thanks a bunch,
Matt

Hello Matt,

OK first up (and this has been suggested by others allready) don't do ANYTHING to the server until you know you have a backup you can recover from :-)
Second .. go on Wikipedia and learn about RAID and the various levels, and read the documentation that comes with your servers RAID controller, RTFM :-)

On to the topic at hand ... very few "RAID" controllers out there will allow you to expand the available space on a volume by replacing the individual drives that make up that RAID volume (Drobo can but then it's doing it's own RAID flavour).
At a guess I'm betting your 2 disk volume is the boot drive of the server (configured as RAID-1 I hope) and the 4 drive is the drive where you put your data (configured as RAID-5 I assume) .. your management tools with the controller will reveal all.
If you wanted to expand the capacity of your data drive from 4 disks to 5, you'd have to put in a disk of the same size or larger ... but ... if you put a larger disk in the controller will only use the as much space as the size of the other drives (so if you have 9GB drives now and put in an 18GB drive, you will only be adding 9GB of space to the volume), the expansion may or maynot be an online process and WILL take an long time .. backup first just in case :-)
The alternative depends on physical space in the server, if you can add in 4 more larger drives to the server and attach them to the controller then you could create a new RAID-5 and migrate the data onto it, then remove the old drives or repurpose them. (does your current setup have a disk set aside as a hot spare ?)

Have fun ... it's not that hard so long as you are paranoid and have good backups.

Regards

Mark

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